Detail View: ADJUNCT MODULE B: ITALIAN ART: Colossal Statue of Constantine [fragments]

Collection: 
ADJUNCT MODULE B: ITALIAN ART
Preferred Title: 
Colossal Statue of Constantine [fragments]
Alternate Title: 
Statua Colossale di Costantino I
Image View: 
Detail of face, the mouth
Creator: 
unknown (Roman (ancient) sculptor)
Location: 
repository: Musei Capitolini (Rome, Lazio, Italy) Inv. Scu 757
Location Note: 
Piazza del Campidoglio 1; Palazzo dei Conservatori, courtyard
GPS: 
+41.893021+12.4825
Date: 
ca. 312-315 CE (creation)
Cultural Context: 
Roman (ancient)
Style Period: 
Imperial (Roman)
Work Type 1: 
sculpture (visual work)
Classification: 
Sculpture and Installations
Material: 
marble
Technique: 
carving (processes); construction (assembling)
Measurements: 
2.5 m (height, head, approx.)
Subjects: 
rulers and leaders; Constantine, Emperor of Rome; Jupiter (Roman deity); acrolith
Description: 
This colossal head, originally formed part of a colossal statue that was up to 10-12 meters in height. The remnants were discovered during the papacy of Innocent VIII (1484-1492) in the apse of the Basilica of Maxentius. The various fragments were placed in the courtyard of the Palazzo dei Conservatori during the 16th and 17th centuries. The only surviving elements are marble; the statue was an acrolith, a composite. The main body would have been made of wood and brick, covered with drapery. The latest reconstructive theory shows the figure of the seated Emperor with the upper part of his body bare, the cloak laying on his shoulder. His right arm holds the staff scepter and his left holds a globe; this is very similar to the presentation of statues of the god Jupiter Optimus Maximus. The hand with the pointed index finger is not original, it was reworked in the Renaissance. (Source: Capitoline Museums [website]; http://en.museicapitolini.org/)
Collection: 
Adjunct Module B: Italian Art
Identifier: 
7A3-R-CM-CSC-H-A09
Rights: 
© Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc.